. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/MA/W/75 
19 June 2006 
 
 (06-2961) 
Negotiating Group on Market Access Original:   English 
  
 
MARKET ACCESS FOR NON-AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS 
 
Negotiating Proposal on 
 
Tariff Liberalisation in the Forest Products Sector1 
 
Communication from Canada; Hong Kong, China; New Zealand;  
Singapore; Thailand and the United States  
 
_______________ 
 
 The following communication, dated 28 April 2006, is being distributed at the request of the 
delegations from Canada; Hong Kong, China; New Zealand; Singapore; Thailand and the 
United States.  
 
I. INTRODUCTION   
1. As explained in the previous communicati on of 18 October 2005, (TN/MA/W/64), full tariff 
liberalisation in the forest products sector would ma ke an important contribution to the economies of a 
wide range of importers a nd exporters in both develope d and developing countries.  
 2. Taking into consideration:  
• the Doha Declaration’s mandate for the “reducti on or elimination of tariff peaks, high tariffs, 
and tariff escalation…in particular on products of export interest to developing countries”; 
• the direction from Ministers at Hong Kong to “review proposals with a view to identifying 
those which could garner sufficient participation to be realized”; and 
• the input received from a range of Members in  the previous months as outlined in JOB 
document (06)/30 of 24 February 2006,  
  the following proposal is made for the consideration of all Members. 
 
II. MODALITIES 
3. Product coverage
:  In the Uruguay Round, a group of WTO Members2 agreed to eliminate 
tariffs in the pulp, paper and paper products sector. It is proposed th at  both particip ation and product 
coverage in that agreement be expanded. In order to maximize in terest among participants, this 
initiative should be as comprehensive as possible. It is proposed that product coverage include 
Harmonized System Chapters 44, 47, 48 and 49, and additional products in Chapter 94: 
 Ch. 44 Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal Ch. 47 Pulp of wood or of other fibrous cellulosi c material; waste and scrap of paper or paperboard 
                                                     
 
1 This document was circulat ed earlier as a JOB(06)/128. 
2 Group of WTO Members included Canada; the European Union; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Korea; 
New Zealand; Singapore and the United States.   TN/MA/W/75 
Page 2  
 
  Ch. 48 Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or of paperboard 
Ch. 49 Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, 
typescripts and plans  
Ch. 94 Products made of wood such as certain furn iture items and pre-fabricated buildings. To date, 
some Members have proposed HS 9401.61, 9401.69, 9403.30, 9403.40, 9403.50, 9403.60, 
9403.80 and 9406.00. 
  The ultimate decision on product coverage rests with the participants in the agreement and 
will be made by 31 July 2006 or as otherwise agreed by Members.  
4. Participation:  The Members who particip ated in the Uruguay Round Agreement on pulp and 
paper products are strongly encouraged to broaden their commitments to in clude the full range of 
products to be agreed to by the participants. In a ddition, the participation of all significant importers 
and exporters of the products with in this initiative will be key to the successful conclusion of an 
agreement. Least Developed Countries will not be ask ed to participate, but are welcome to do. To 
date, interested Members have defined “critical mass” as participation by Members representing 90 
percent of world trade. This benchmark is subject  to agreement by Members participating in this 
agreement no later than 31 July 2006 or as otherwise agreed by Members. 
 5. Implementation:  It is proposed th at developed and developing countries 
implement their commitments as soon as possible and no later than the dates specified in the 
modalities for implementing formula reductions. The ultimate decision on implementation dates will 
rest with the participants in the agreement and will be made by 31 July 2006 or as otherwise agreed by 
Members.  6. Special and Differential Treatment for devel oping countries:  All elements of Special and 
Differential Treatment will be decided by the partic ipants in the agreement by 31 July 2006 or as 
otherwise agreed by Members.  Following are options to be considered:  (a) Longer Implementation Periods: For a specific number of tariff lines up to a maximum level 
of trade, developing countries would be perm itted to implement their commitments over a 
period of time that is longer than the implementa tion schedule to be applied to this agreement. 
 
(b) Zero for X:  Participants will decide wh ether it is appropriate for developing-country 
Members to reduce and harmonize their tariffs rath er than eliminating them. Participants will 
decide whether this provision could apply to th e full product coverage or to specified lines. 
 
(c) Limited Product Exemptions:  To date, par ticipants have urged as comprehensive a product 
coverage as possible, and therefore they  generally support modalities such as longer 
implementation periods or “zero for x” rather than product exemptions. Nevertheless, it will 
be up to all participants in the agreement to  decide whether this provision could be used. 
 (d) Other:  Other proposals for Special and Diffe rential Treatment provisions will be considered 
if put forward by participants. 
 
III. NEXT STEPS 
 Participants will reach agreement on the de tails of the modalities as outlined above by 
31 July 2006 or as otherwise agreed by Members. 
 
 The results of this negotiation will be incorpor ated into each participating Member’s schedule 
of commitments. 
__________